In the food and beverage industry, and the carbonated beverage industry in particular, cleaning and sanitizing plant equipment can be very time consuming and costly. The current methods of cleaning and sanitizing plant equipment require very high temperatures up to 185° F. Consequently, time is spent heating and cooling the equipment. Oftentimes, maintaining high temperatures for an entire cleaning and sanitizing program is difficult and can lead to ineffective sanitation of the equipment. Additionally, the high temperatures, coupled with aggressive chemistry, lead to wear and tear on the equipment. Repeated heating and cooling subjects the equipment to thermal stresses that can lead to metal fatigue and breakdown of elastomer gaskets and seals providing a harborage for bacteria. This can then lead to the formation of hard to remove biofilms and undesirable effects on the product. It is especially costly and time consuming to clean beverage plant equipment if carbon dioxide from carbonated beverages is still in the equipment. Typically, when cleaning carbonated beverage plant equipment, the carbon dioxide must be removed from the system before it can be cleaned with a caustic cleaner. If the carbon dioxide is not removed and a caustic detergent with sodium hydroxide is used, the caustic is converted into sodium carbonate by the carbon dioxide. Formation of sodium carbonate causes several problems. It can form a precipitate adding to the soil load if its solubility limit is exceeded. In the presence of hard water, sodium carbonate reacts with the calcium and magnesium ions to form insoluble calcium and magnesium compounds. Further, the conversion of gaseous carbon dioxide to sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate can create a vacuum that can destroy vessels by collapsing them. Therefore, a need exists for a method of low temperature cleaning of plant equipment that eliminates the time, cost, and wear and tear on equipment associated with current high temperature cleaning methods. Additionally, a need exists for a method of low temperature cleaning of beverage plant equipment using carbon dioxide compatible chemistry that eliminates the need for removing carbon dioxide when the equipment is being cleaned.